Royall Tyler – 1757-1826

Born William Clark Tyler, Royall Tyler was a Vermont attorney and teacher, who also wrote plays. His 1787 The Contrast pits a naïve Yankee against a sophisticated Englishman for the affections of the same girl. A delightful comedy—on a par with the best produced in England at the time—The Contrast also created an enduring cultural stereotype in the character of Jonathan, “the Yankee.”